Automatic cooker



J. H.'JACOBS. AUTOMATIC COOKER. APPLlCATlON HLED JULY 9,1919. 1,341,748,Patented June 1, 1920.

2 SHEETSSHEET 1.

I 1/7. Jacobs.

' J. H, JACOBS.

AUTOMATIC COOKER.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 9.1919.

Patented June 1, 1920 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT orrlcs.

JOSEPH H. JACOBS, DEN V1313, COLORADO.

AUTOMATIQ COOKER.

Specification of l etters' Patent.

Patented June 1, 1920.

' Application filed July 9, 1 19. Serial No. 309,646.

ence marked thereon, whichform a part of this specification. 15 Thisinventionrelates to'automatic cooking devices for use where the'articlesto be cooked are to be moved through a cooking liquid during a definitetime only. The object of the invention is to provide a simple device formoving the articlesthrough the liquid and automatically discharging themtherefrom upon completion of the cooking process. It is also an objectto provide a device whereby the time during which the articles remain inthe bath may be varied as required. The device may be used for householdpurposes, as for frying dough nuts, potatochips and the like, or forscalding tomatoes preparatory to cann1ng.- On

a larger scale, the device may be used in packing houses, both forpreparing flllltS and vegetables, and also meat products.

Briefly, the invention comprises a, casing having a circular troughtherein for the cooking liquid, and aplurality of rotary arms providedwith means for engaging the articles being cooked, to. move them throughthe bath and discharge them.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a vertical section taken on the ,line l.lof Fig. 2. I Fig. 2 is a plan view. V

.F'g. 3 is an elevation from l1ne 3-3 of Fig. 1, with the outer heatchamber omitted, and aportion'ofthe casing wall "broken away to disclosethe internal structure.

Fig; 4 is a detail of receiving guides positioned in the cookingtrough.v

Fig. 5 is a detail on the line 5 of Fig. 1, showing the cam forelevatingthe advancing arms and the-means for ad ustmg the same. I l

modified form of 'nected with a .the articles when cooked.

Fig. 6 is a detail, showing the means for I rocking each advancingmember to discharge the articles after being elevated from the trough. vi

F 1g. 7 is an enlarged detail of a slightly advancing means to be usedin cooklng articles whose tendency is to float. v 7' I -'The casing 10is provided with a circular trough 12,' adapted to receive the cookingfluid. Positioned immediately below the formed in the top thereof. fThisburner may be of any desired construction and congas supply by means ofsuitable connections. Mounted at the receiving point in the trough'is agrating composed. .of a plurality of guides 18, each. of which .has'cupped portion,"as shown in Fig. 4, to receive the articles. 7 of thetrough a plurality of straightguides the removal of' At the dischargepoint 20 is provided to assist in Radiating fromthe center. of themachine is a plurality of rotary arms. 22, whose outer ends are equippedwith brackets 23, in which there are hinged at 25 curved fingers 24,these fingers being spaced and arranged to pass between the guides 18and 20. Each arm 22 is pivoted as shown at 26 to a center member 28,mounted ona tube 30, which is rotatable about a positioning spindle 32.At 1ts lo wer end'the tube 30 carries agear 34, meshing with a pinion36-on a short shaft .38,- suitably connected with; the casing. The

trough is a gas burner 14, having jets 16 upper'end of the shaft 38carries a friction disk 40, adapted to be engagedby a friction. wheel42, drlven by a motor 43. The wheel 42 is'adjustable radially of thedisk 40 in order'to vary the speed of the rotating mechanism. i

A chute 44 is positioned between the re- :ceiving grating 18 andthedischarge gratmg 2O,-th1s chute receiving the'discharged' articles.Positioned adjacent'the chute 44 and connected with the casing, is. anadjust-able cam member 46, slidable verticallybetween the casing walland the guide strap 48. An offset piece 50, connectef d'with,the cam46,1s provided with a plurality of adjusting screws 5 2,'which engagethe horizontal 111154 of the casing. By means of these screws thecammember/46 ma be raised or lowered, as desired, to obtain t e proper ele-24 and a set of upper fingers 124. This form is to be used to holdarticles in the bath which otherwise would float upon the surface.

In order to rock the fingers for dischar e of the articles,particularlywhen the sty e ofconstruction of Fig. 7 is used, a rock .arm60 having an offset lower portion 61, is

' employed. A member 60 is pivoted on each in the upper portion of thisheat chamber at a point adjacent the dlscharge guldes 20.

casing.

of the arms 22, as indicated at 62. The outer end of the member isadapted to engage an offset lug 64, connected with the fingers 24, andthe lower end 61 is adapted to engage an upstanding pin 66, mounted inthe hor'1- zontal wall 54.

An annular heat chamber 7 O is o'sitioned' about the casing 10, as shownin *igs. 1 and 2, and a pluraht of openlngs through the casing 10 afl'ors communication between the combustion chamber and the heat chamber, oneof these openings being shown at 72 in Fig. 1. An exlt conduit 74 isprovided The rest of the openings 72 are provided in the casing at theside opposite the exit 74. In the operation of the device, the artlclesare fed preferably automatically by any satisfactory machine intoreceiving grating 18. As the fingers 24 are allowed to descend by thecam 46, they pass between the guides of the. grating 18 and engage thearticle therein, asthe arm rotates it carries the article of articlesheld b the fingers 24 throu h the bath to the ischarge gratlng 20. isthe cam member 46 causes an arm 22 to be elevated, the fingers 24 passbetween the fin ers of the grating 20, and the inclination of thegrating produces an easy upward movement of the articles thereon untilthe are raised above the top of the n order to positively discharge thearticles from the fingers, engagement of the lower arm 61 ofthe rockingmember 60 with the pin 66 will cause said lower end 'to swing in areverse direction, while the outer end engages the lug 64, swinging itin a forward direction to tip the fingers and dump the cooked articlesinto the chute, from which they are discharged into any satisfactoryreceiving means. I

By causing the heated products of con bustion to pass out through theopenings 7 2 and confining them within the heat chamber 7 0 untiltheyreach the exit 74, the maxi- 'mum heat efficiency is obtained. Theproducts of combustion are thereby caused to travel around aconsiderable portion of the casing and thereby heat the outer side wallsform of advancing of the trough. The spent products of combustion maythen be conducted to a chimney.

I claim:

1. In an automatic cooking apparatus, a circular trough, rotary armshaving curved fingers thereon to carry articles to be cooked through afluid in said trough and to lift said articles from the fluid.

2. In an automatic cooking apparatus, a circular trough, rotary armshaving curved fingers thereon to carry articles to be cooked through afluid in said trough and to lift said articles from the fluid, andinclined guides at the discharge end of said trough to facilitateremoval of said articles.

3. In an automatic cooking apparatus, a circular trough, adapted tocontain a cooking fluid, rotary arms having means thereon to engagearticles to be cookedandv move them through said trough, and a cuppedreceiving grating at the receiving end of said trough, from which saidmeans on said arms are adapted to remove the articles prior to theirtravel through the cooking bath.

4. In an automatic cooking device, a circular trough adapted to containa cooking fluid, rotary arms having fingers thereon to engage andpropel'articles to be cooked through said bath, a grating at thereceiving end of said trough, composed of spaced fingers, and a gratingat the discharge end of said trough composed of spaced fingers, thefingers of said arms being adapted to pass between the fingers of saidgrating.

5. In an automatic cooking apparatus, a circular trough adapted tocontain a cooking fluid, rotary arms having means thereon to engage andpropel articles, to be cooked through said trough, a chute, "and a camadjacent said chute to elevate said arms for discharging the cookedarticles.

6. In an automatic cooking device, a circular trough adapted to containa cooking fluid, rotary arms having curved fingers to engage and propelthe articles to be cooked through the trough, a chute, a cam to elevatesaid-arms as they approach'said chute,

and means to rock sa1d fingers to positively discharge said articlesinto said chute.

7 In an automatic cooking apparatus, a

circular trough, rotary arms having curved fingers thereon to carryarticles to be cooked through a fluid in said trough and to lift .saidarticles from the fluid, and means to arm, a stationary v ber beingconnected with said advancing means, whereby engagement of the inner 10end of said member with said pin Will cause the outer end of said memberto rock said advancing means.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature;

JOSEPH, H. JACOBS.

